The Arena di Verona Festival is a famous summer opera festival held annually in the Roman amphitheater of Verona. Founded in 1913, the festival presents world-class operas, concerts, and ballet performances, attracting audiences from all over the world with unique shows staged within the ancient monument. It was on this very stage that Maria Callas made her Italian debut in Ponchielli's "La Gioconda" in 1947. In 1953, Sophia Loren played Aida in a film adaptation for which the vocal parts were performed by Renata Tebaldi. And since 1971, the great tenor Luciano Pavarotti became a regular guest at the Verona Opera Festivals. It was opera that brought the amphitheater worldwide fame.
On exceptional occasions, the Arena lends its stage to popular artists as well. A prime example is the grand concerts of Adriano Celentano on October 8-9, 2012. This event was truly unique, as the singer had not toured since 1994 and had not appeared on stage for a full 12 years, making his return a truly historic moment.
The Arena di Verona Foundation presents the program for the 103rd Festival: fifty evenings from June 12th to September 12th, 2026, featuring six opera productions and three special events. After one hundred and ten years and one hundred seasons, despite wars and difficult periods, Verona celebrates the centenary of a beautiful Italian tradition, a summer ritual that, with its merits and flaws, remains in the heart of every music lover—the Arena Festival.
A new production of Verdi's "La Traviata" will open the festival on June 12th and 13th.
"Aida," the queen of the amphitheater, will be presented in two versions: the "crystal-clear" production by Stefano Poda and the historic version by Franco Zeffirelli.
Verdi's "Nabucco" returns in Poda's 2025 production, and "La Bohème" in Alfonso Signorini's 2024 version.
Puccini's "Turandot," in Zeffirelli's fairy-tale production with costumes by Oscar-winner Emi Wada, will be performed for the hundredth time.